Looking for an amp for my Proac 1.5's.

I used to own a pair of 1.5s and one of the best amps that I used with it was a Conrad Johnson Premier 11a. However, just before I sold the 1.5s I hooked it up to a 47 Labs Gaincard and was more than surprised at how good it sounded. I did not have the CJ anymore so I could not make a direct comparison, but I would be satisfied with the Gaincard. The advantage with the Gaincard is that it has built-in attenuators, runs cool and you can leave it on all the time (for that early morning music fix before you go to work). I think there was another A-gon member who got great results with the Gaincard and his 2.5s. Check the threads.

Those 1.5's are really nice. ProAc's Stewart Tyler supposedly uses tubed Audio Research components.

I'm running a pair of Tablette 2000 sigs with a Threshold FET ten hl & S/350e combo. The top of the line Fet ten, which replaced a Forte F44, really smoothed things out. Flute, soprano sax and grand piano sound musically natural. They were a touch harsh thru the Forte. What's the hang-up with the Adcom?

The Threshold S/150 is a class A/B design rated at 75 watts per channel. When Threshold added optical bias to the S series the entry level S/150 became the S/200 @ 80 watts per channel. The S/200 is deemed class A/AB.

When I was in your spot I called Threshold to ask about their Forte line. The nice guy I talked to said "Look for a used S/300, you should be able to find one. They were quite popular." I took his advice and started with a pre-optical bias S/300. It's the next step up in that line. It kicked butt with floor standing KEF Uni Q's and held its value like a champ. In optical bias form the S/300 retained the 300 designation and the cosmetics changed. Good luck in your search.

Phil, congrats on your ProAc purchase. I've owned Tablette 50 Signatures for 9 months and during that time have had them hooked up to a Simaudio Moon I-5, Electrocompaniet ECI-3 and now to Blue Circle Audio BC21/BC22 separates. For me the Tab 50s sound their best with the Blue Circle setup. By far.

I've heard other people say that ProAcs performed best when run with tube equipment, and my experience bears that out. With the Simaudio and Electrocompaniet, my ProAcs sounded thin or glassy at times, but having a tube preamp cured all that. Through the Blue Circle gear my Tab 50s reproduce female vocals and acoustic instruments with startling clarity and warmth. And boy-o-boy you'll love the way your 1.5s will image once you find the right amp. Wide, deep and very focused.

My suggestion would be to look into and try to audition Conrad Johnson, Rogue Audio and Audio Research gear for starters. The Threshold amp might work, but I would consider mating it to a tube preamp.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Hi Phil0618, Try looking for a used Cary V-12 amp. A great match!